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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

The saying goes that the only place to go from rock bottom is up, but the Calera Eagles are shooting for more than the bare minimum in 2024.

Not much more needs to be said about Calera’s 0-10 campaign that hasn’t already, especially since the Eagles are already moving past it with a new coach.

Scott Rials hopes to replicate the form that made him one of the winningest coaches in the state at Elba by moving from Baldwin County into a new challenge: coaching in the Birmingham metro area for the first time.

Rials is well aware of Calera’s past success, and he knows that because of that and the people that he has in the building, they have one thing: potential.

Potential was one thing Calera showed plenty of despite failing to compete in many games last year, including one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the region in AJ Johnson and speedy options at running back and receiver including KD Young and Demetrius Davis.

All three of those weapons are back this year and fill out an athletic group of skill position players around a veteran offensive line. The hope is that the Eagles can use that speed to break down opposing defenses and find the end zone at a more frequent clip.

Proper utilization of that offensive talent would go a long way toward improving off a county-worst 9.2 points per game last year, but equally as important is improving on the defensive side as well.

The defense also posted a county-low of 43.3 points allowed per game, and Calera will look to its veteran players to make up that difference on the scoreboard.

Rials believes their strength is in the secondary with Jerrin McCain, LeShond Boone and Carlos Wisenhunt leading a deep and dynamic group.

However, much of that strength comes from their speed, much like the receivers. Outside of them, it’s a small group that leans more on the athletic side than the physical side.

Combine that with the fact that much of the three-man front and linebacker room is fairly green, and that could present a problem, especially early on. The Eagles will need to stop plays at the first level while also guarding in the pass game to give their improved offense a shot to compete.

The good news is that the non-region schedule of Northridge, Central-Tuscaloosa, Brookwood and Stanhope Elmore give Calera a much better chance of competing for wins than last year’s. The bad news is Class 6A, Region 3 is so stacked that there’s maybe only one or two playoff spots up for grabs.

It’ll be difficult for this team to compete for the postseason, but that may not be the measuring stick for this year’s team. Obviously, any team would love to make the playoffs, but Rials has been very pragmatic in his approach to this rebuild.

The goal is clearly to make meaningful progress toward a future where the Eagles can be a perennial playoff contender. While there’s nowhere to go but up, I think Calera can make more strides in that direction than many people think this year.

 

Prediction: 3-7. There’s plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the direction that Scott Rials is taking the Calera program. He has already helped the Eagles continue to close the off-the-field gap between them and their Class 6A counterparts and has a team full of raw talent united under a common vision to help them better reach their potential.

With a new offensive vision and another year of experience, I expect them to take a big step in the right direction, especially with a veteran offensive line. However, it’s the defense, particularly the run protection, which concerns me with their lack of size.

While I’ve never been one to discount the Eagles’ athleticism, they’ll need plenty of speed and aggression to give their offense a chance to compete.

I expect Calera to be much more competitive this season and even pick up a few wins against a schedule it is better suited for than last year’s gauntlet, laying the foundation for a bright future to come if everything goes to plan.